History

FirstGuard Technologies Corporation (FGT) grew out of the desire by George Mason University faculty and administrators to commercialize some of the wide array of patents and new technologies being developed at the University. In 2010, George Mason University President Alan Merten asked FirstGuard co-founder Jim Wolfe, Entrepreneur in Residence at Mason’s School of Business, to screen and select intellectual property owned by the University that might be valuable in commercial markets. From that early challenge, FirstGuard Technologies was born. The first technology selected for development is based upon patents developed by Mason research professors in the area of sniper and landmine detection.

Three years later the Office of Naval Research (ONR) awarded FirstGuard a multi-year $2.4 million contract with to build a prototype pre-shot sniper detector. The first prototype hardware has been delivered, and testing is ongoing. In the summer of 2017 FGT conducted successful field testing of our latest patented technology in pre-shot weapons detection. We are now actively seeking technical and business partners to commercialize these groundbreaking technologies.

The immediate work of FirstGuard is to produce pre-shot weapons detection and landmine detection systems for sale in both commercial and Government markets. The long-term mission of FGT is to expand into other new technologies that will serve to protect our protectors and to enhance security for the people they guard. The company plans to commercialize additional technologies in the future, from those developed by researchers located at Mason as well as other leading research institutions